The Ripple Effect
by Cookies and Ink
Summary: Going back to Hogwarts for Eighth Year had been difficult for Draco Malfoy, up until a long conversation by the fire with Harry Potter of all people changes everything.


**A/N:** Written for Ana - January Gift Giving Extravaganza 2018. I hope you enjoy!

Thank you as always to my wonderful betas, all other prompts and challenges are listed in the A/N below.

* * *

 **The Ripple Effect**

The dragon fluttered through the air and landed on one of the larger lillies which had bloomed recently. Draco watched, ready to cast a cleaning spell in case pollen was knocked over the window sill.

Thankfully the dragon was light and as of yet, hadn't made Draco want to set it on fire.

It had come in a small box a week ago with no note. There was no need — as soon as he had seen the origami creature, charmed to move and fly like the real thing, Draco had known who had sent it. Theo had always had a knack for crafts. It was his olive branch and Draco felt himself once again bombarded by emotions that he _really_ didn't want to analyse. Coming back to Hogwarts had been better than staying at home, although, he had been naive to think there would be less memories here than in the manor where the air felt slick, like oil coating your skin. Concentrated dark magic always made his stomach turn.

The _Eighth Years_ , as they were being dubbed, were a curious bunch. There weren't many who wanted to go back to Hogwarts to study and take their N.E.W.T.s. In fact, there had been an increased demand for personal tutors or students going to study abroad. For that reason, the fifteen students were being housed in their own common room. Hogwarts had adapted to the need by creating a new — somewhat short — tower seemingly overnight, complete with common room and large individual rooms. So as not to overstretch the teachers, it was a lot of self study and joining the Seventh Years where necessary.

His robes fell to the floor.

Draco spun, wand drawn immediately at the sound of the fabric hitting the floor. They had been hung on the wardrobe and his heart was pounding.

"Homenum Revelio."

According to the spell, there was no one in the room with him, but he had learnt to trust his instincts. There were enough people in this castle who would wish him harm, Draco saw the looks and whispers, he wasn't stupid. He knew what he was responsible for. Then something clicked in place and he gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Potter, you bastard."

The next spell he cast was non - verbal, the first one that came to his mind and it didn't quite work. Pansy had taught it to him in fourth year, she and Daphne had ran through the dorms casting explosions of powder that had stuck to everything it touched. For some unknown reason, the two times Draco had tried to cast it, he did not create fine powder however.

Green glitter exploded in the air and rushed forward. It coated the umbrella propped against the wardrobe and looked as though it were going to cover every surface in the room. Something knocked into his bedside table, the photo album sliding off and hitting the floor with a thud and then as Draco watched with a wicked grin, a humanoid shape made of glitter stood in the corner of the room.

"Did you honestly just shoot glitter at me?" Harry had the gaul to sound indignant.

"I'll do more than that to you. What are you doing in my room?" Draco asked, wand pointing straight at the figure, several curses in mind.

He and Harry had been cordial, an unspoken agreement to not get in each other's way but he would be lying if he hadn't anticipated this. After everything, despite what his Mother told him, surely Potter wanted revenge. He raised his wand as the figure shifted and Harry pulled his infernal invisibility cloak off. He looked down, eyes as green as the glitter which was coating the now visible cloak and then he looked back up at Draco.

"At least it just got the cloak and not me," he muttered more to himself than Draco. "I also didn't know that it made me invisibile against revealing spells, that's good to know."

"Give me an answer or by Merlin I'll curse you until—"

"I was investigating the smell, Malfoy."

Draco stopped short and blinked, thrown by what Harry had said. Even his body language, which was as obvious as always look embarrassed. Somehow he had always been able to read the Saviour of the Wizarding World like a book

"I'm sorry?"

"Every time I walk past your room I can smell something sweet, really enticing, I don't know. I thought you were brewing Amortentia illegally, or doing something… something suspicious," Harry said weakly. "Instead you're… growing flowers."

His lips twitched and Draco raised his wand which he'd lowered back up with a scowl.

"These flowers produce potions ingredients you idiot. Smelling something and being suspicious gives you no right to invade my privacy."

Harry laughed at that, the dry, sarcastic laugh Draco knew too well. "Oh come on now, like we haven't been doing that since were eleven, Malfoy? I guess I was bored or letting bad habits get to me. I will get out of your perfectly styled hair now."

Before Draco could think of a retort, Harry bent down and picked up the photo album he'd knocked onto the floor.

"Give that back!"

Potter rolled his eyes as he held it out to him. "Think what you will but I'm not that bad."

Then, he cast a cleaning spell on his cloak, put it on and disappeared. Draco's door opened then closed as Draco stared in a mixture of astonishment and annoyance. How dare he leave Draco's domain, thinking he had the last word. He was storming out of his room in his pyjamas before he had really thought about what he was doing.

All of the bedrooms opened up onto the common room, where he saw Harry was sitting by the fire which was still burning brightly, the only source of light in the pitch black room. Draco eyes went to the clock on the wall; it was 2am and Potter had been creeping in his room because he was bored.

"Apologise."

"Make me," Harry said but his voice sounded tired. It felt like they were going through a script that both of them had done to death before.

Draco fell silent and then dropped into the seat next to him.

"Your curiosity is going to get you killed," he muttered. "Go in my room again and I'll make you regret being born."

"Sometimes I do anyway, so that's not really a challenge."

It was Harry's frank honesty that made Draco relax slowly over the next fifteen minutes as they both watched the fire in silence. There was so much unsaid between them and he found himself doing exactly what he had told himself never to do. Draco wanted answers, an explanation. He had tried to forget, but that had proved impossible with constant reminders: the memorial on the Hogwarts Grounds he walked past every time he had to go to the Greenhouses or on the way to Hogsmeade; the clear blame which seemed to be mirrored on everyone's face. Sparring with Harry had felt natural, the first time that Draco had a conversation with one of his peers that hadn't felt stilted.

"Were you there that night?"

Why he asked the one question Draco didn't really want the answer too, he wasn't sure. Perhaps he wanted to suffer, or have someone shout at him. No one had yet and the mixture of fake sincerity and passive aggressiveness felt stifling. Harry raised an eyebrow, turning his head to look at him.

"The night I should have killed Dumbledore. I saw the two brooms, I know you were there." Harry's expression spoke volume and Draco found himself still talking, unable to stop. "I spent two years wishing that I had done it, it would have protected my family but I—"

"Don't ever be sorry you didn't want to kill someone," Harry's voice was surprisingly strong. "What's done is done and you survived Draco. That's what you should focus on, that's what I'm constantly being told by Hermione."

It was the first time Harry had ever just used his first name so casually. Draco found himself staring in shock and surprise and once again, Harry rolled his eyes.

"I admit, us arguing felt nice and familiar. I'd do anything to have a good duel and let off some steam but there's not many people here that truly get it. A lot of them had experienced horrific things last year, and the year before but you and I, it's been our lives. I killed Professor Quirrell, you know, and I can't imagine what home was like for you. We might hate each other but at the same time I know you're going to understand me more than half the people in this castle."

"I don't hate you, Harry."

Harry had been staring back at the fire and he twisted in surprise as Draco let himself shrug, rather embarrassed.

"I did for years but I know you were just surviving too. That's enough for me, now."

"It must be the Slytherin in me," Harry said with a slight grin. "You know I was a hatstall between the snakes and Gryffindor?"

Draco gaped at him and as Harry snorted with laughter and turned to face him, starting to talk about his sorting, Draco found himself relaxing even more. Harry had been right, he did get it, and in the same vein, Harry understood him too. They ended up talking through the night, past the dawn. Mainly they traded school memories from both perspectives, but only twice did they draw their wands on each other, which Draco felt was a marked improvement. In fact, as Hermione came into the Common Room and blinked in surprise, Harry waving to her with a yawn, Draco felt as though the man with abhorrently messy hair and pyjamas that were too big for him was another person.

He wasn't Harry Potter, the Saviour, the Boy who Lived.

This was Harry, who had a biting sense of humour, asked stupid questions and had seen too much in his life. Around him, Draco did not feel like Draco Malfoy, the Death Eater, the one who had betrayed them all, the one who had slunk back.

He was just Draco, who was cocky, proud and someone who had also seen too much in his life.

"I'll see you later Draco." Harry stretched and stood up, heading over to Hermione who wished them both a good morning.

"Perhaps join us for lunch, Draco?" Granger asked.

It was two weeks before he took her up on the offer. Two weeks which had involved ten evenings spent talking to Harry by firelight, both of them preferring to stay awake than face the nightmares that waited to torment them.

Whether Harry was singing a song that Draco then got stuck in his head (leaving him singing 'I'm still standing' and nothing else because he couldn't remember the rest), or when they partnered together for Potions and Defence, both of them getting top marks, Draco found himself growing closer to the one person that had been a constant in his life, always on his mind for good or bad.

Something was changing.

* * *

Draco groaned and pulled the duvet over his head in a futile attempt to avoid the sun which was now streaming through the window. He could hear Harry laughing to himself.

"It's nearly ten in the morning."

"Which is not early at all," Draco protested. "Some of us like sleep!"

Harry ignored him and Draco listened as he walked to the wardrobe and then started opening drawers. With a loud sigh to show his indignation, he sat up in bed to watch his boyfriend get dressed.

"Your hair is a mess."

Harry merely stuck his middle finger up in Draco's direction and then stripped which, even after dating for six years, made Draco's mouth go dry.

"Harry, put some trousers on! Or I'll get thoroughly distracted and we won't be leaving this room today."

Harry turned, a shy blush on his cheeks. He still got startled whenever he received compliments; it was something Draco was extremely determined to change.

"Shut up and get dressed yourself. Or are you really going to spend our holiday in a blanket cocoon? Yesterday you got all protective when the paparazzi started to appear and now you're going to let me fend for myself, I see how it is."

"Don't even mention those vultures. You should have cursed them."

"You were the one holding me back!"

"Only to save your pure and perfect image. But really Potter, when have you ever listened to me?"

"Fuck you, Malfoy."

They bickered, they kissed, and eventually, they were both ready, standing side by side in the full length mirror.

"I love you."

They had said in unison and Harry blushed again.

"Last night I had this dream," Harry said slowly and Draco tensed slightly, putting his fingers to Harry's chin to turn his head and inspect his boyfriend's eyes. They were always shadowed after a bad night. Harry put his hand on Draco's arm and shook his head. "No, it was a good dream. It was more of a memory than anything, of when we first met."

"On the train? Or no, at Diagon Alley?" Draco frowned.

"No not that time, the first time we properly met and talked. Remember in Eighth year, when we started to talk and get to know each other, the real us instead of all the labels and everything else? I just woke up thinking how, if I'd never decided to—"

"Break into my room and be a paranoid idiot," Draco interjected.

Harry ignored him and continued talking. "— do that and then talk to you, we wouldn't even be here. It's crazy, how one small thing can change everything."

Draco kissed him, thinking of moments where his life could have gone differently if that 'one small thing' had been altered.

"As far as ripple effects go, this is perfect and I wouldn't like to go back in my life and do things differently. I want this, right now, to never change."

"Merlin you're sappy when you're half awake."

"Shut up, Potter."

"Make me, Malfoy," Harry said automatically. They closed their hotel room door, walking hand in hand down the corridor and with every step, Draco found himself grateful that he'd been growing flowers in his room, all those years ago. Thanks to some lilies and a spell that exploded glitter, they had finally found the peace and happiness they both had spent their lives searching for.

* * *

 **A/N** :

\- Gift Giving Extravaganza: Drarry, 'Make me!' (for Ana)  
\- Dragon Appreciation Month: 2417 words

\- Hogwarts Assessment #2: Careers Advice, Task 2 - Write about a character suddenly seeing someone for who they are.

\- Book Club: Sam Temple - light (word), Harry Potter (character), "Don't ever say you're sorry you don't want to kill people." (dialogue - I changed the tense)

\- Showtime: "That's enough" (dialogue)

\- TV Show of the Month: Mycroft - umbrella (object), protective (word), "[name], put your trousers on!" (dialogue)

\- A Year in Entertainment: photo album (object)

\- The Bath Bomb Appreciation Challenge: Night Fever - Set your story during the dead of night.

\- Days of the Month: Appreciate a Dragon day - Write about a dragon.

\- Fanficiton Resolutions Challenge: 43. Write about a Death Eater doing something very undeatheatery.

\- The 365 Prompts Challenge: 281. 'I'm Still Standing' - Elton John (song)

\- The Insane House Challenge: 254. Scenario - Your room always smells really nice and I don't know what you're doing in there but I'm determined to find out

\- Sticker Challenge: Bowtruckle - Write about someone having trouble fitting in.


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